Sick Day
by edscutechibigirl
Summary: Amu awakes with a cold on a typical school day and is forced to stay home to recover. Ikuto is still living in her room secretly and when he finds out that Amu is sick some interesting things start to happen...
1. Chapter 1

"Ikuto...." she breathed inaudibly, unconsciously turning to a comfortable position in her bed. As she moved, her hand gently brushed something hard and warm. She slowly awakened, trying to adjust her eyes to her sunlit bedroom. She yawned softly and stared out the window for a second before turning her attention to the figure next to her. Her hand was gently placed against his and she withdrew it slowly; embarrassed that she had accidentally touched him while she slept. Ikuto didn't move; his eyes stayed closed and his breathing was steady as Amu watched. She smiled slightly and playfully poked him on the cheek to get his attention. His eyebrows moved, causing tiny wrinkles to form on his smooth forehead but he continued to sleep. Amu sighed, _"How long is Ikuto going to stay here? I wonder if he's getting any better..." _she questioned absently to herself. Just then her Charas came into full view. She held in a gasp, startled when they just appeared in front of her all of a sudden and she shot a glare at them for scaring her. Ran nodded in apology and gracefully glided down to her ear.

"Amu-Chan, if you don't get out of bed now you'll be late for school!" she whispered, concerned but still enthusiastic as always. Amu shot straight up in bed "Oh man! Your right!" she exclaimed, looking around the room, panicked. Then she stopped for a moment and winced as she held her head. Ran flew over to her swiftly "Amu-Chan! Amu-Chan, are you all right?" she yelled. Amu nodded and laid back in bed. She could feel her head pounding and she closed her eyes as tight as she could to try and make the pain subside. It helped a little bit but she could still feel a pang of pain residing in her skull. To make matters worse she felt really cold all of sudden and she noticed that she also had a hard time swallowing. She briefly opened her eyes to meet the stares of her concerned Charas but she closed them again when the pain was too much and she curled up in her blankets to keep herself warm.

There was a sudden tug of her blankets and, curiously, she opened her eyes to see Ikuto staring at her stoically. "I'm cold." he said sleepily, tugging at the blankets. "Well why don't you go outside and sleep you perverted cat?" she asked bluntly. Ikuto frowned at her but then an amused snicker played across his face. "But I'm sick Amu..." he complained, mischievously. "Shut Up Ikuto! You always use that excuse!" she yelled. The yell caused her head to throb even more so she groaned and lay there, annoyed. Ikuto propped up on his right elbow and stared at Amu; "Something wrong?" he asked nonchalantly. She stared daggers at him and turned away "Well if you must know," she retorted, "I have a headache." She smiled for a second, out of view; she figured that explanation would shut him up.

It was silent for a few moments and Amu didn't know what to think. _"Maybe he went back to sleep." _she concluded, trying to peek over her shoulder at him. She couldn't see him so she turned all the way around. He wasn't there. She blinked and looked around her room, searching for him. Then there was a knock at the door. Her eyes immediately shot towards the noise and she clutched onto her blankets "C-come in!" she said, trying to hide the panic in her voice. Her mother walked into the room. "I thought I heard someone yelling up here; Amu, you'll be late for school if you don't get ready now." she lectured. "Yeah, I know mama" she replied, getting up from bed, trying to ignore her insistent head pain.

She wobbled around the room trying to get all of her things packed up for school. Her mom stared at her with a surprised look on her face and felt Amu's forehead "Oh my, you're burning up Amu." she stated, guiding her daughter back to the bed. "I'm afraid you won't be going to school today. I'll go call the school and I'll come back with something for your fever." she stood up and walked out of the room. Amu waited till she could no longer hear her mom's footsteps before she stood up. "Ikuto?" she hissed, looking around for him. Then, something caught her eye. She watched as a blue tail waved slowly, back and forth, from under her bed.


	2. Chapter 2

Amu stared at the tail in awe and walked towards it. She kneeled down and lifted up her blanket with the back of her hand. Ikuto turned his head and stared at her; he was more than annoyed. "Uh...Ikuto..." she began to ask, trying her best to stifle a laugh. "Uh...What are you doing under my bed?" She continued, crawling out of the way for him. He slid out from under the bed and sat up to face her. "I was looking for mice." he said sarcastically, smirking at her. Amu rolled her eyes, "Why didn't you hide in the closet? It's a lot better than being under there." She pointed out. Ikuto rose to his feet slowly. "I wanted to try something new." He stood there as Amu sat on the floor, dumbfounded. She remembered that he hid in the closet when she was out with the Guardians and again when Tadase confessed to her. She began laughing at the memories but stopped when she felt a weird pressure in her nose.

"Achoo!" she sneezed, her body jolting forward slightly. She sniffled and stood up with an irritated sigh. Ikuto crossed his arms and peered down at her. "Are you sick Amu?" he asked. She crossed her arms and looked away. "I'm not sick, something just flew up my nose." she replied, in a matter-of-fact tone. She knew Ikuto wouldn't believe her but when was she ever obligated to tell him anything anyway? "In fact I'm going to school right now so if you'll excuse me..." she trailed off, attempting to walk away. That's when she felt something clutching on to her. She tried to free her hand but the grip was too tight. "Ikuto! Let me go!" she hissed, trying to push him away with her free hand. He raised an eyebrow and, slowly, walked closer to her. He lifted his left hand up slightly and Amu flinched, expecting to be hit or slapped. When nothing happened she reopened her eyes and Ikuto placed his palm on her forehead.

Amu blushed "W-what are you doing?" she questioned thoughtlessly. "You're mom was right; you do have a fever Amu." Amu stepped back and clenched her jaw. She forgot he was there for the conversation between her and her mother. "I feel perfectly fine Ikuto, really! I have a date with Tadase today after school so if you'll excuse me..." she reassured; her false smile made her lips twitch awkwardly.

Ikuto walked around her and stood in front of the bedroom door before Amu had a chance to get to it. "Ikuto! Move!" she yelled, trying to find a way around him. When that plan failed, she stomped her foot in disgust and glared at him with hate filled eyes. _"Grrah...Why does Ikuto have to be like this!" _she thought; her anger had gotten the better of her. When she heard thumping noises in the distance her anger disappeared and distress filled in its place. "Mama's coming!" she practically shrieked. "Ikuto! You need to hide! If she finds you we'll both get in a lot of trouble!" Ikuto didn't move. He stood there, still staring at her with a blank expression on his face.

"Ikuto! Why aren't you moving!?" she questioned, her voice at a higher pitch than usual. "I'm not moving until you agree to go back to bed." he answered, smiling slyly at her. "This is ridiculous!" she growled through her teeth. Ran, Miki and Suu floated over to her with worried looks on their faces. "Amu-chan! You need to agree with Ikuto before your mom comes in!!" they yelled, moving around erratically. They could hear her mother's footsteps down the hall now. "Fine, fine. Now move!" she breathed, pushing him into the closet. He practically fell in and his body rested in the cramped space awkwardly. She shut the closet door and ran back to the safety of her bed, hopping in and spreading the comforter over her as fast as she could. A second later her mother opened the door with a bowl and a damp cloth. "Amu, are you alright? I thought I heard you yelling. " Sounded like you were saying.... Ikuto or something." she concluded, positioning herself next to the bed. When Amu heard this her stomach sank.


	3. Chapter 3

She searched the depths of her brain for a reasonable explanation and blurted out "oh! I said 'eek, my toe'. I stubbed my toe on accident. Sorry for all the commotion." she explained, laughing nervously as beads of sweat formed on her skin. Her mother looked at her for a second before she grabbed the damp cloth. "It's all right; I was just worried because it sounded like you were hurt really bad." she placed the cloth on Amu's forehead and smiled in relief. "Papa was really worried too." she chuckled looking towards the door. Amu, sat up slightly and her eyes followed her mom's. She saw her dad lingering near her doorway with tears in his eyes. She laid her head back again "I'm sorry for making you worry" she apologized.

Her mother merely smiled and walked back towards the door. "Don't worry about it sweetie. Just get some rest." Midori grabbed the door handle and shut the door quietly. Amu sighed; that situation was too much for her to handle right now. After a few minutes went by she watched as her closet door slowly opened and out emerged the tall, blue haired boy that was once the subject of her now dying anger. She closed her eyes and turned away from him, still irritated by what he did. When she opened them again his face was in view. She cupped her hands to her mouth and bit her tongue. "How many times do I have to tell you to sleep on the floor!?" she whispered through her teeth. He opened his eyes. "How many times do I have to tell you that the floor is cold?" he shot back, grinning another sly grin. "Besides..." he continued, "...I figured since we were both sick we could heat each other up with our body temperatures…" he replied innocently.

"GET OUT!" Amu grabbed a pillow and hit him with it. She sat with her cheeks puffed out and her face was red with frustration and embarrassment. Ikuto lifted the pillow off of his face. "That wasn't very nice Amu..." She quickly turned to look at him "Well! You're not very nice!" she retorted. Ikuto stared up at her for a second before another smirk formed across his face. He grabbed Amu's shoulder and pulled her down swiftly. She yelped in surprise and she was held in place by a tight embrace. "Well...Maybe I don't like playing nice..." he whispered into her ear playfully. She gasped and struggled to get free. She punched, kicked, and tried anything that would work. Unfortunately, he eluded most of her attacks and, when he was hit, he didn't even wince.

After a few moments of fighting Amu's arms and legs dropped softly on to the bed. She was out of breath and her body had been drained faster because of her sickness. Ikuto held on to her tightly and moved his head closer to hers. "You're so warm...you really are like a human hot-"

"Yeah, yeah. Like a 'human hot water bottle" she interrupted, mentally kicking herself for being too weak to move away from him. "You should probably get some sleep Amu..." he said, ignoring her harsh tone. "Don't tell me what to do...I'm not a little kid you know..." she shot back, glaring at the wall. She yawned and it was harder to keep her eyes open. She was no longer cold; Ikuto's body heat and her thick blankets were keeping her warm and comfortable. She slowly closed her eyes and drifted into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

Ikuto's eyes shot open. He could hear the floor creaking with every step that someone took. He looked down at Amu who was sleeping peacefully, her breathing was steady and she didn't budge when Ikuto raised his head. He released his grasp on her and slowly lowered her onto the bed without disturbing her. He walked over to the closet swiftly and cleverly, slowly closing the closet doors until only a sliver of light peeked through the dark space. He watched as Amu's mom walked in, sat on the bed briefly and then shuffled back out quietly. Ikuto opened the closet door again and slid his way on to the bed. He froze as Amu shivered helplessly in her sleep. His arms automatically wrapped around her fragile body and she stopped shivering again. He closed his eyes in relief and slowly drifted into a deep sleep.  
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When she awoke it was evening time and the sun had already set. She moved her head slightly and frowned when she could feel the sweat coating her body. "I need a shower..." she told herself in a strained voice. She moved her shoulders back and that's she noticed that Ikuto was still holding on to her. His grip had loosened but his arms were still around her and a shiver went up her spine when she realized that his hand was resting on her bare stomach. She turned her head a fraction to the left and noticed that he was sound asleep, breathing softly into her ear. She smiled a little but then she was stumped. _"How am I supposed to get up if Ikuto is holding me here?" _she thought, utterly confused. She wiggled her way forward slowly, trying not to awaken him. "Just…a…little more…" she whispered to herself, scooting towards the edge of her bed. Ikuto stopped breathing and Amu froze. She waited several minutes until she could hear Ikuto's breathing again to continue her escape.

She grabbed his wrist with her thumb and her index fingers and slowly lifted his arm away from her body. His eyebrows moved a bit but then his face relaxed and he slept peacefully again. Amu smiled and slowly moved out of bed. She was feeling a lot better than she had this morning and, she had to admit, part of it was because of Ikuto. _"He is a nice guy after all…" _She thought, sort of surprised with her new revelation. She heard the phone ring downstairs followed by her mother yelling "Amu! Tadase's on the phone!"

"Coming!" She yelled, making her way towards the door. Then she turned around to look at Ikuto one last time. "Thank you Ikuto…." she whispered, running out with a smile on her face.


	4. Chapter 4

Amu skipped merrily down the stairs, humming upbeat songs to herself. She jogged over to her mom who held the phone patiently for her daughter. "Thank you mama" she said politely, taking the phone. She held it up to her ear and smiled as her mom walked into the kitchen to give her some privacy. "Hello? Tadase-kun?" she asked, placing her hand on the table and turning to face the wall. She heard movement on the other side of the phone line and smiled. "Good Evening Amu-Chan," he greeted warmly. "I hope I'm not being a bother, calling this late and so suddenly at that." he said with a forced chuckle. Amu shook her head as if she was talking to him in person. "No, it's alright Tadase-kun! I-i'm sorry about skipping out on our.... date." she said with a gulp; she could feel her face turning red.

"It's fine. More importantly, how are you doing? Has your fever gone down? Have you been drinking fluids and getting any rest?" he questioned in a concerned tone. Amu smiled. She was happy that Tadase had worried about her; her heart was hammering inside her chest uncomfortably but she ignored it. "Yes Tadase-kun; I'm doing just fine. Thank you for...being concerned." She couldn't see Tadase's face but she knew he was smiling along with her. "I'm glad you're feeling better." he replied.

After a short conversation, Amu hung up the phone and rubbed her cheeks. She had been smiling for so long that her jaw started hurting. "Amu-Chan!" Her mother called from the kitchen, "Can you please come in here?" she beckoned and Amu walked in. "Yes Mama?" she asked, curious as to why she was being called. "Amu, I'm going to go ahead and run to the market for a bit." she said, grabbing her purse and checking her wallet. "Ami's upstairs sleeping in her room and your father is here but I'm afraid he fell asleep on the couch again; can you check on Ami every now and then while I'm gone?" she asked sweetly. "Sure" Amu answered. "Thank you sweetie. I'll be sure to pick up some medicine for you while I'm there." She walked out of the kitchen and Amu heard the front door shut moments later.

Amu didn't eat anything all day so she reached over the table and retrieved an apple from the glass fruit bowl. She made her way over to the sink and rubbed the apple under the running water. She took a bite out of the apple and chewed happily with her eyes closed as she walked out of the kitchen. _"After I eat this apple it's straight to the shower for me~" _she planned, wanting nothing more than to have a relaxing shower. She tapped the bottom step with her toe and opened her eyes. She looked up and froze as she was about to take her first step up. Ikuto was standing on the stairs, staring down at Amu. He was leaning on a wall in the narrow stairway and Amu guessed that he was using the wall to support himself.

After a few moments Ikuto descended down the stairs and looked around. "What are you doing?!" she breathed. Ikuto stopped looking around and turned his attention to her. "I'm hungry." he blurted; it looked like he was half asleep. Amu shook her head in amazement and stomped her foot. "I'll get you something to eat later Ikuto! Now get upstairs before my dad wakes up!" she whispered, trying to nudge him up the steps. He turned his head and stared at her while she failed to push him at all. Amu dropped her arms in defeat and clenched her fists. _"Why does he have to be like this!?" _she screamed in her head.

Ikuto turned around and placed his hands on her shoulders. Amu blinked in confusion, her anger disappearing as fast as it had come. He leaned his face in closer to hers "Is that any way to treat a guest?" he asked her, amusement flicked across his face as the corners of his mouth pulled up. Amu was taken aback by Ikuto's manner and let out a gasp. She inhaled too hard and she held her mouth as cough after cough escaped her body. After several coughs she scrunched up her face and gently beat on her chest, pretending to beat all the coughs out. She turned back to Ikuto with an angry look on her face "Shut up Ikuto! If you don't like it then why do-" She was immediately cut off.

Ikuto pressed his lips against hers and her body went into an unexplainable frenzy. She couldn't think, she couldn't breathe; all she could do was stare wide-eyed at him as their warm lips joined together. Her heart rate picked up and she was certain if it kept up that way it would rip out of her chest and explode. She wanted it to stop; she wanted to push him away and tell him to never come near her again but.... at the same time, she wanted him to stay by her side.

_How could something feel so wrong...and so right at the same time? _


	5. Chapter 5

Their lips parted and Ikuto stared cautiously at Amu. She stared at his face, looking for some kind of answer, trying to stare through him to see if an answer could be found anywhere. She subconsciously lifted her hand up towards his face and glared at him, utterly embarrassed. He knew what was coming next but he did not flinch, he just stared down at her, waiting. Amu's hand shook as she held it up and she bit her lip in disgust. She knew she couldn't hit him because she secretly liked the kiss and she regretted that feeling with all of her being.

Her hand dropped to her side and she glanced away from him. "Why did you do that...?" she questioned softly. "It's as the legend goes." he began, his voice unwavering. She reluctantly turned her head and looked back at him. "It's said that if you kiss someone that is sick then the sickness will be transferred." He continued, nonchalantly. Amu stared at the ground for a moment, trying to process what he meant. _"So, he wants me to get better? So much so that he would try and take my pain and make it his?" _she wondered, perplexed and breath taken. "Y-you're such an idiot Ikuto." She blurted, crossing her arms. "It's just a dumb legend you know..." He grinned at her and took a deep breath. "It was worth a try..." he breathed, closing his eyes and staggering forward.

Amu placed her hands on his shoulders and held him in place. "I-ikuto! Are you alright?" she exclaimed, trying to keep her voice down so her father didn't wake up. His breathing became shallow and he spoke between short gasps "I just need...to rest..." Amu started to worry. Ikuto didn't look very good and she didn't know what she could do to help him at this point. He started drifting in and out of consciousness and his weight was too much for Amu to handle. She fell back on her butt and tried to hold herself in a sitting position while Ikuto's limp body draped over her. She scrambled to stand up and move out of the way, just in case her fall woke her father. She dragged Ikuto towards the stairs gently and quietly and placed him on the ground. She stood up and cracked her back, _"He's way to heavy for me..." _she exclaimed in her head. She happened to glance at the clock and freaked out. "Mama is coming home soon! She'll find out about Ikuto!" she whispered, running frantically to the kitchen.

She ripped the drawers open and grabbed out a dishtowel. She ran it under the cold water in the sink and wrung it out as fast as possible. Amu sprinted out of the kitchen and slid her way over to Ikuto, blotting his face with the wet towel. "Ikuto, you need to get up, just for a little while. Mama is coming home soon and she'll see you!" she hurried, lightly slapping his cheeks. She almost cried when he didn't respond. "Please Ikuto, wake up!" she pleaded, grabbing on to his shirt tightly. He groaned and stood up slowly leaning against her for support. She felt his forehead and frowned when she felt the overly warm temperature of his skin. She slowly guided him up the stairs and led him over to the bed. He crawled in and curled up into a ball, trying to keep warm. Amu ran back out of her room and locked the door shut, sliding to the floor with a sigh of relief.


	6. Chapter 6

Amu caught her breath and sat with her knees up to her chest. She leaned her head back on her bedroom door and stared at the ceiling, worried. "Ikuto isn't getting better…" she thought, resting her chin on her bare knees. Tears began to well up from inside of her and she sniffled softly as the forming tears got bigger. Before they could spill over, she heard her mother walk into the house and put all the groceries on the table so she lifted her head and looked towards the bottom of the stairs. She blinked away her tears and then rubbed the remaining water droplets on to her sleeves before standing up and proceeding down the stairs. She walked into the kitchen silently while her mother was putting all the groceries away, staring at her while she walked around the room. Midori turned towards the doorway and saw her daughter standing there and she walked over to her after closing the cabinet doors. She knelt down to her daughter's height and felt her forehead with anticipation. "Amu… Your eyes are red and glassy; are you feeling sick again?" she asked in her motherly tone of voice. Amu didn't want her mother to know she had been crying so she nodded a little and put on a fake smile. "I'm feeling a little sick mama but I feel a lot better than before." Her mother smiled and stood up, walking over to the sink to begin her preparations for dinner. "I'll make you soup tonight for dinner; is that all right with you?" she asked her daughter as she cut the vegetables in cubes. Amu replied with a polite "yes" and she still stood in the doorway, making sure her mother didn't have anything else to say before leaving. Her mom stopped chopping the vegetables and she turned around with a sweet smile on her face. "Go back up to your room sweetie, I'll bring up some medicine in a little while." Amu froze.

She knew her mother couldn't go into her room, not now. Ikuto wasn't in any condition to get up and hide and her mother could NEVER find out about him staying here. Amu panicked silently in the doorway, she could feel the sweat dripping down her face. "That's ok mama!" she blurted out suddenly, which made her mom turn around in confusion. "I'll get the medicine myself." Amu continued with a reassuring smile. She was hoping this would work because she couldn't think of any other plan to get her mom to stay out of her room. Amu's mother frowned for a second but then she smiled. "Alright, you're a big girl now so I guess you can get things like this for yourself. Make sure to read the label first though." She said cautiously. Amu ran to the table and grabbed the medicine, reading the label and then pouring the given amount. "Thank you mama." She said before running out of the doorway and up to her room. She flew her bedroom door open and winced in apology as Ikuto's sleeping eyes shot open from the noise. "I'm sorry Ikuto, I didn't mean to do that." She stated, walking over to his bedside briskly. He stared at her weakly with his eyes half open. Amu's throat started closing up at the sight of this but she gulped and she held back the will to cry. "Here you go Ikuto." She said, holding the medicine up to him with shaky hands. "If you want to get better then you have to drink this." She said a little sternly, hoping he would listen to her. He coughed, which made her jump and the red liquid in her hand did the same. Luckily, it fell right back into the cup and none of it spilled so she sighed with relief. She placed the cup down on her nightstand and grabbed a small towel, blotting away the sweat forming on Ikuto's face. He closed his eyes but Amu shook him awake gently. "No Ikuto, you need to drink this medicine first before you go to sleep." She said, her voice quivering a little. She didn't know what would happen to him if he didn't try to get better as soon as possible. He stared at her for a few moments and then he nodded slowly to her, accepting the medicine. She helped him sit up on the bed and then she held to cup to his mouth, slowly pouring it in as he swallowed it. When he drank it all she set the cup down and helped him lie back with a smile. Ikuto saw Amu's content face and he smiled as well, slowly lifting his limp arm up. Amu stared at his arm in awe and felt it lightly brush against her cheek. She blushed at this gesture and stared down at Ikuto, trying not to avert her gaze from his eyes. He opened his mouth and started moving his lips but all Amu could hear was a faint airy type of whisper. She blinked and leaned into him closer to figure out what he was trying to say and when her ear was close enough to his face he muttered "Thank you Amu…" and he kissed her on the cheek.


End file.
